Slip-on plastic cover for steel head bands



P 1960 J. MICKENBERG 7 2,954,442

SLIP-ON PLASTIC COVER FOR STEEL HEAD BANDS Filed May 24, 1956 FIG.|.

INVENTOR. Jesse Mickenberg BY M ATTORNEY United States Patent cc 2,954,442 Patented Sept. 27, 1960 SLIP-ON PLASTIC COVER FOR STEEL HEAD BANDS Jesse Mickenberg, 203 43rd Ave, Bayside, N.Y.

Filed May 24, 1956, Ser. No. 587,025

4 Claims. (Cl. 179-156) This invention relates to steel headbands for hearing aids and more particularly to a slip-on plastic cover therefor.

It is a principal object of the present invention to improve the appearance of the steel headband which is used for securing hearing aids to the head of the wearer.

It is another object of the invention to provide a slipon plastic cover sleeve for steel headbands used for hearing aids to prevent the band from injuring the head of the wearer.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a cover for steel headbands used in connection with hearing aids which can be easily applied to the steel band by sliding the same either edgewise upon the band or endwise over the end of the band and so that it can be readily replaced by a cover of a dilferent color.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a cover for steel headbands used in connection with hearing aids which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, may be made by plastic extrusion process, of pleasing appearance, colorful, adapted to frictionally grip the steel headband, sanitary, efficient and effective in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, refernece may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hearing aid with its steel headband bearing the plastic cover of the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the slip-on plastic cover illustrating the manner in which the steel band is slid into the same, the view being taken generally upon line 2--2 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the slipon plastic cover separated from the band,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the plastic cover free of the steel headband and as viewed 1 on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the figures, 10 representss a hearing aid from which there extends a cable cord 11 through which the electrical impulses are imparted to the hearing aid instrument 10. This instrument is ordinarily supported upon the head of the wearer by a steel spring headband 12 having a bifurcated or wishboneshaped swivel member 13 within which the hearing aid instrument 10 is pivotally connected. The swivel member 13 has enlarged ends 14 and 15 serving as trunnion supports for projections extending from the opposite sides of the hearing aid 10.

The steel headband as will be seen more fully in Fig.

4 is formed of a flat steel strip having substantial width and several times greater than its thin thickness.

According to the present invention this steel strip may be covered with a slip-on plastic cover 16 having a flat outer side face 17 and end walls 18 and 19, extending over the edges of the steel strip 12. The respective end walls have inwardly-turned portions 20 and 21 overlying the inner face of the spring bands and separated on the inner side thereof by a space 22 running through the length of the inner face of the steel band.

The plastic cover is accordingly constructed to cover the full exterior surface of the steel band, its edges, and a larger portion of its inner face. This band is made by extrusion of a hard plastic material and which may be bent and set to conform generally to the shape of the curved steel band. The plastic has the flexibility of the steel band and can bend in the same degree without splitting or rupture.

The opening through which the steel headband is slid is slightly less than the size of the steel band and its inner walls will have frictional engagement with the steel band faces so that it cannot be easily slid from the same.

This plastic can be of any desired color. The covers can be readily replaced by other covers of different color as desired by the wearer.

The cover can be applied to the steel headband either by stretching the opening space 22 so that the band may enter the same in an edgewise manner or by slipping the cover in an endwise manner over the free end of the steel band.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A slip-on plastic cover for flat steel headbands comprising a flat side adapted to be extended over the outer face of the steel headband, edges adapted to overlie and contact the edges of the steel headband and the respective edges having inwardly-turned portions spaced from one another and adapted to overlie and contact the inner face of the steel band.

2. A slip-on plastic cover for flat steel headbands as defined in claim 1, and said cover being of hard plastic material and conforming generally to the shape of the steel headband.

3. A slip-on plastic cover for flat steel headbands as .defined in claim 1, and the space provided within the cover being slightly less in size than the band to give to the cover frictional engagement with the faces of the steel headband.

4. A slip-on plastic cover for flat steel headbands as defined in claim 1, the inwardly turned portions of the cover being spaced from each other to permit the side edge insertion of the steel headband into the cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,329,658 Gernsback Feb. 3, 1920 1,535,299 Durbin Apr. 28, 1925 1,555,928 Morrissey Oct. 6, 1925 1,596,171 Francisco Aug. 17, 1926 2,501,107 Volkmann Mar. 21, 1950 2,589,755 Ward Mar. 18, 1952 2,717,930 Hintz Sept. 13, 1955 

